Community development post-recession takes place in an environment that is greatly changed in terms of both demand for and capacity to deliver services. While no community was immune, the places that were most deeply affected by the Great Recession – and continue to feel its effects – are often those places that had suffered from disinvestment for decades leading up to it. The tools and strategies that have been developed and relied on by investors, practitioners and advocates – in some cases for decades – need to be adapted to the changes, while continuing to meet ever growing demand.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, in partnership with IFF and the American Bankers Association, convened a conference to discuss tools available and needed in order to restore market vitality to the many communities that continue to be affected by lack of investment and low-functioning financial service and credit markets, among other challenges. Tools Toward Market Restoration: The Role of Community Capital explored the different types of "capital" that must exist to create an "enabling environment" for investment.